Published in 1818, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" imagined the possibility of science re-animating dead matter, and the themes in her masterpiece have been as enduring as the Hollywood images of a block-headed, neck-bolted monster. What are the moral responsibilities of our scientific capabilities? Just because we can, should we?

Like Shelley's novel, Stephen P. Kiernan's intriguing debut, "The Curiosity," begins in the Arctic, where scientist Kate Philo leads an expedition to find the perfect "hard-ice" from which to re-animate single-cell life forms. The funding for the expedition comes from Erastus Carthage, a monomaniacal media-savvy genius who appoints Daniel Dixon, a lecherous mediocre journalist, to document the project. | July 26, 2013»Read Full Article

Milwaukee area restaurant inspections:The Journal Sentinel’s restaurant inspections database shows food safety violations for restaurants in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties, with some records going back to January 2012.

Want to know how clean a restaurant is before you sit down to eat there?

Milwaukee Common Council President Michael Murphy has a simple solution for the dine-out crowd: Give restaurants a grade for hygiene and post it on the front door. | Feb. 19, 2014»Read Full Article(26)

If Milwaukee went by any other nickname, Whiskey of the Damned frontman Eoin McCarthy may not have ended up here.

"My dad is a musician (Irish singer-songwriter and comedian Finbar McCarthy), and while we were living in Spain, we got a visa to come here," said McCarthy, a part-time landscaper and cook at the Anvil in Cedarburg and the Tracks. "When you immigrate to America, they give you a list of cities and their nicknames so you can declare where you're going. We looked at the list, and my mom said, 'Right, that's where we're going, Brewtown.'" | Feb. 19, 2014»Read Full Article(5)

Ardent on Milwaukee's east side is among the semifinalists for James Beard Foundation Awards for best new restaurants across the United States, and returning to the list of semifinalists for best chef in the Midwest are Justin Aprahamian, chef-owner of Sanford, and David Swanson, chef-owner of Braise. | Feb. 19, 2014»Read Full Blog Post(1)

Who's on Third, a new bar serving craft beers and pub food, could be open by St. Patrick's Day at 1007 N. Old World 3rd St.

"We want to be a classic American pub," said owner Bobby Wiltgen. He's a veteran of several Milwaukee bars, most recently Trinity - Three Irish Pubs downtown, where he was general manager. | Feb. 19, 2014»Read Full Blog Post